Friday, April 6, 2007

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE said...

(FEDEX FIRINGS FOCUS OF LABOR BOARD COMPLAINT) Fedex Corp.,the world's largest air-cargo carrier,sought to thwart a Teamsters organizing drive by firing four workers who showed interest in the union,the national labor relations board said in a complaint.Fedex also pressured some delivery employees in Northborough Massachusette.,to say whether they or colleages supported the union and told works the organizing effort in late 2005 and early 2006 would be futile, according to the complaint.Fedex has until april 13 to respond to the complaint,which is scheduled for a June 18 hearing with an administrative Law Judge.

13 comments:

Fedex Teamster Chronicles
said...

Hot off the press: Fedex Teamsters Unite Hands Across America.Fedex Freight Teamsters and Fedex National LTL Teamsters from Southern California have united with the Fedex Express Teamsters from Topeka, Kansas and Chicago, Illinois along with the brothers and sisters from Fedex Express in Tampa, Florida. Organizing committees have established contact and are now pooling together their vast resources of knowledge with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Fedex Ground has expressed interest and Fedex Home Delivery have organized two locations in Wilmington, MA. Let this website be an open forum to unite all Fedex employees under all divisions of Fedex to organize for a better future.

You're not alone. In fact, recent surveys conducted by Discovery Surveys Inc. reveal that one out of three employees are seriously thinking about leaving their job.

This result is based on studies conducted in more than 65 organizations over the past several years. More than 50,000 employees were surveyed from a variety of U.S.-based service and manufacturing organizations.

"Employees are unhappy because companies aren't committed to them, so they are very careful about being committed to their companies," said Bruce L. Katcher, founder and owner of Sharon, Mass.-based Discovery

Surveys.

"Employers now feel that employees are expendable. That whole culture of keeping an employee for life, respecting the employee and making sure they feel they are a part of something special is eroding dramatically."

Katcher said that businesses are overly obses-

sed with tracking their bottom line.

"Laying off employees isn't necessarily the right way to survive," he said. "A better way would be to retrain the employees and help them adapt to changes."

Advertisement--------------------------------------------------------------------------------business-to-business sales positions, said companies can be merciless in regard to letting employees go in today's business climate. "My standard advice is that companies are operating in their best interest, so you'd be best served by operating in your best interest," he said. "There is no real commitment on the part of companies to keep you if your value to that company has diminished."

Olson said one the companies he deals with, a large food service firm, doesn't lay employees off when the economy takes a downturn. Instead, the business simply stops hiring new workers.

But other companies that have been acquired by other firms often require employees to re-interview for positions they have held for years.

"The notion that a company is going to stick with you is really not the case anymore," Olson said.

offers the following tips to employers who want to retain their workers:

Katcher Enjoyment of the actual work:

Employees who enjoy their work activities and feel a sense of personal accomplishment are most likely to stay.

Communication with supervisors:

Employees want to feel respected and encouraged by their supervisors. Those most likely to stay receive ongoing performance feedback from their supervisors throughout the year, not just annually. Those most likely to stay also believe that their supervisors encourage them to make suggestions.

Provide high quality products and services to customers:

Employees want to be part of a culture in which people really care about doing good work. They are more likely to stay if they believe their organization is operating efficiently, is committed to providing high quality products and services and makes it easy for their customers to do business with them.

Pride in the work of the organization:

Employees want to feel they are contributing to a cause that is important. Those who are proud of their organization and believe their work contributes to the organization's objectives are more likely to stay.

optimism about the future

Those who intend to stay with their organizations believe that management is doing a good job of planning for the future. They also believe that they personally have a good future with the organization.

"Identifying Ignorance" To suceed at developing insight,first you need to identify ignorance.Ignorance in this context is not just a lack of knowledge-it is an active misapprehension of the nature of things.It mistakenly assumes that people and things exist in and of themselves,by way of their own nature.having no ignorance in self means having pride and to think highly of our selves,with courage,bravery,valor to be wise and organize for our rights to unionize together!.How do you beat ignorance is by education,knowledge and skill,knowing your labor rights and teaching your co-workers.ignorant people are selfish people taking care of oneself without thought for others.Teamsters have no ignorance,Teamsters work together and creates democracy and rights to vote for fairness,to opinionate without a manager telling you that this a non-union facility that they could do what ever they want,that your opinion means nothing to him and i'm not talking about the T.M of SVC but other overpower managers.Ignorance is not having a teamster contract,with a contract we have guidelines not a handbook that changes rules as the days goes by for their convenience and advantage.ignorance is our retirement,is poorly,401k is only our money we put into it and the 50 cent they match goes to your taxes(read Joe Cobbs website)ask your tax or (IRA) dept about W1040 read line 20! remember guys keep the dirty side down GODBLESS AMERICA.

I would like to personally thank Joe Nuno for taking an interest in developing a positive work environment for us to work in. Eliminating ignorance and establishing a Union contract now seems like a nearly attainable goal. I am excited about the future of Fedex joined with the Teamsters. The UNION of Fedex and the Teamsters is beneficial for the employees of Fedex Freight with a better pension, more money per hour, and benefits for the hard working part timers. I am also excited about going to the local 952 on April 22nd for the monthly Fedex Teamster Organizing Workshop. Like Joe Nuno says stay positive and: "Keep the Dirty Side Down."

WASHINGTON, April 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teamster carhaulers who work at Allied Holdings have approved a plan that paves the way for saving 3,300 union jobs and protecting members' pensions, health and welfare benefits and their union contract, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa announced today.

Canadian Pacific Workers Have Teamster Support on Both Sides of the Border

Pledge of Support from Jim Hoffa and Robert Bouvier

Contact: David White(202) 624-6911 April 16, 2007

(Washington, D.C.) -- Canadian Pacific (CP) railway workers in Canada can expect the full support of their Teamster brothers and sisters in the United States for union job actions on CP pledged Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. The Canadian Pacific is currently in federal mediation for contract negotiations with maintenance of way workers in Canada.

“Since 2005, when the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWED) voted to merge with the Teamsters Union, we have had a strong and supportive role in helping protect wages and benefits for rail workers throughout the United States and Canada,” Hoffa said. “This is a difficult time for our maintenance of way employees of Canadian Pacific Rail. If a job action, such as a strike, is decided on as a means to achieving a good settlement, we fully support that decision.”

Bob Bouvier, President of Teamsters Canada and International Vice President, said to the workers: “No matter how hard you have worked and bargained in good faith, the employer must also be reasonable for the parties to reach an agreement. Though I am hopeful that a strike can be avoided, rest assured that all of Teamsters Canada will be there to assist you if necessary.”

The BMWED represents about 1,000 employees of CP in the United States on the Soo Line and Delaware and Hudson railroads. The BMWED is a division of the Teamsters Rail Conference.

“Across the country, we are ready to support our brothers and sisters on CP in Canada,” said Mark Wimmer, General Chairman of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific System Federation, a subdivision of the BMWED that represents Soo Line members. “It could be a tough fight, but we are ready.”

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters was founded in 1903 and represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women through out North America.

Four years ago, when he first donned a green apron at the Starbucks at Madison Avenue and 36th Street, Daniel Gross must have looked like any other scruffy college grad in need of a paycheck and a shave. Within a few months, though, it was clear that this Los Angeles native with the perpetual stubble was something very different: the Norma Rae of the Caramel Macchiato.

Soon after he started, Gross and some fellow baristas began to meet at each other's homes to gripe about their jobs. The pace was exhausting, the store chronically understaffed and, under Starbucks's "flexible" scheduling rules, the number of hours they worked could change week to week, leaving them unsure of how much they would earn.

Gross didn't look for a different employer. He climbed on the espresso bar waving a placard that read "UNION" -- metaphorically speaking.

Today, the Starbucks Workers Union, such as it is, is affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World and claims a "critical mass" of members at nine stores in four states, including a store in Rockville, Md. The group won't release membership numbers, but given that Starbucks has 9,401 stores in the United States and more than 128,000 "partners," as employees are known, we're not exactly talking about a massive groundswell. And to the extent that any union campaign is also a public relations battle, the fight has yet to put even a ding in Starbucks's corporate halo.

Sure, consumers chafe at the prices and the annoying argot of "venti," "grande" and "tall." Yes, others lament the way these drearily standardized outlets have become our national cafe. (Check out the variety and style of coffee culture in Europe and have a good cry.) We cut the company some slack, though, because we're addicted to the coffee and because the Seattle-based giant appears to take a reasoned, benevolent approach to everything from its staff to its Fair Trade-certified beans. Even the bottled water -- it's called Ethos -- seems enlightened.

But Gross, now a 28-year-old, third-year law student at Fordham, says that Starbucks's retail-megachain-with-a-soul image is largely a sham.

"Apparently it's true that if you repeat a lie enough times, it will resonate," he says one recent afternoon in a cafeteria at Fordham. "In my opinion, when it comes to its message about its employees, this company has the greatest PR machine in the business."

That PR machine, at least as it was represented on the phone, is a very polite and patient woman named Valerie O'Neil. "We respect the right of our partners to organize," she explains, adding that 86 percent of Starbucks workers described themselves in a survey as "very satisfied" with their jobs. If the idea of a union has failed to catch on, in her account, it's because few people at Starbucks are interested in joining.

Gross has a different theory about why his team has not yet achieved its goals, described on its Web site as better pay, guaranteed hours, an end to understaffing and a safer workplace. It's because, he says, Starbucks is actively -- and at times illegally -- thwarting them.

He cites the National Labor Relations Board, which has accused Starbucks of fighting dirty against the SWU by using bribery, interrogations and threats of retaliation. Most recently, it ruled on March 30 that Starbucks broke the law 30 times as it tried to push back against Gross and his fellow travelers. The company was accused of threatening to fire baristas who support the cause.

On April 2, workers at SGS Automotive Services in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada unanimously voted to join Local 938. There are 14 members in the bargaining unit.

The workers, who are responsible for new vehicle inspections, sought help from the union after seeing all the benefits that the rail loaders, yard men and carhaulers enjoyed as Teamsters in the very same complex.

Fair pay, benefits and working conditions are the among the workers' major concerns at the company.

"I am very pleased and proud of the way this group has stuck together and persevered to become Teamster members," said Pat Murdock, assistant to the President of Joint Council 52. "The workers really appreciate the cohesiveness of our union, and have already experienced, as Teamsters, what it means to look out for one another. It's people helping people, and that's what it's all about."

Larry McDonald, President of Local 938 and Joint Council 52, and Joe Castellano, a Local 938 organizer, each worked tirelessly to make the organizing effort a success and are delighted to welcome this new group into the union.

"Organizing is the lifeblood of this great union, and the growth of the Joint Council in Ontario reflects the hard work being done across the province," McDonald said.

With more than 48,000 employees, SGS operates a network of more than 1,000 offices and laboratories around the world.

The Teamsters’ UPS Freight Negotiating Committee made steady progress during negotiations March 12-14, reaching agreement on 12 articles related to working conditions. More talks have been scheduled.

The committee, meeting with UPS Freight outside of Washington, D.C., made progress on non-economic items—language related to working conditions.

Both sides are close to agreeing on a number of other non-economic articles.

“The talks are going well and, based upon the pace of the latest talks, we are confident a strong agreement for the UPS Freight members in Indianapolis can be reached,” said Ken Hall, Director of the Teamsters Parcel and Small Package Division, who is co-chairman of the negotiating committee.

“The negotiations in Indianapolis for our members at Local 135 will result in providing them with the same kind of strong contract language freight and UPS Teamsters currently enjoy,” said Gordon Sweeton, Assistant Director of the Teamsters National Freight Division, also co-chairman of the committee.

“All of our members here at Local 135 are excited about the progress that is being made,” said Jeff Combs, Local 135’s organizer. “They know they will have a strong voice soon in the form of a Teamster contract."

The negotiations will cover 125 drivers and dockworkers in Indianapolis. However, the Indianapolis contract will be a model national contract to organize the 300 other UPS Freight terminals nationwide.

Local 330 in Elgin, Illinois scored a substantial settlement for one of its members after unfair termination from the City of St. Charles.

“The Teamsters are here to protect our workers,” said Dominic Romanazzi, Local 330 President. “Employers cannot just fire an employee without following the process stipulated within the contract.”

After the member was terminated, Local 330 challenged the decision, expedited the grievance procedure and requested arbitration.

“After the first full day of testimony, a settlement proposal was presented by the City of St. Charles,” Romanazzi said. “This victory will send a message to the new city administrator that Local 330 will not tolerate unfair treatment of our members.”

Local 901 in San Juan, Puerto Rico recently received certification to represent 80 workers employed at the Carolina location of Edis Laundry, a division of AmeriPride Services Incorporated.

The warehouse workers, service representatives, routemen and mechanics joined together, empowered by the knowledge that other employees with the company in the United States had superior pay, health benefits and work standards. Teamsters in Puerto Rico who work with Cadillac Uniforms, UPS and Hertz, among other companies, lent their support and assistance to the workers. In a 43-1 vote, the employees chose Teamster representation and are looking forward to a Teamster contract.

"These workers were united and did a wonderful job working for Teamster membership. They will be great Teamsters," said Luz Perez, organizer with Local 901.

$35 million expansion for local Acme complexBy Staff reportsLancaster New Era

Published: Apr 23, 2007 10:37 AM EST

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - The Acme distribution center near Denver is planning a $35 million expansion that will create 200 to 300 jobs here, a union leader says

The addition, reaching more than eight stories high, will help the East Cocalico Township center handle work now done by facilities in Easton, Harrisburg and Perryman, Md. But the shift in work to the center means that those three centers will be closed, eliminating 630 jobs.

Triggering the South Muddy Creek Road project is last summer's acquisition of Acme owner Albertsons by Supervalu, a deal that created the nation's third-largest supermarket chain.

In the wake of that transaction, Supervalu concluded that consolidating the volume of the three smaller centers into its newly acquired Denver site would boost efficiency.

"They're happy with the situation here," said Howard Rhinier of Teamsters Local 771, which represents about 500 warehouse workers in the Denver facility.

"They want to work with the union and we want to work with them, to secure a future with good-paying jobs for our members, with a profitable company," he said.